Polyrhythms may be one of the most misunderstood rhythmic concepts in music theory.
If you’re just getting began with music you might have written polyrhythms off as being too difficult and hard to understand.
Sure—you’ll need some basic understanding of rhythm and meter.
However, with a number of basic ideas, polyrhythms aren’t actually that difficult to understand.
The truth is, polyrhythms are actually cool and they can add another dimension to the rhythms you write and play within your own music.
Once you’ve studied and discovered them you’ll hear them used everywhere in music, from the top 40 charts down to the most complicated avant-garde compositions.
So let’s check out how polyrhythms work and learn some simple ways to feel their unique rhythmic characteristics in your own playing.
Polymeter vs. polyrhythm
Before we get started let’s get a couple of confusing terms out of the way.
Polyrhythm and polymeter often get confused. They make the most of some similar ideas however they’re both very different.
What is a polymeter?
In music, a polymeter happens when two or more rhythmic meters are played against one another creating a phase-in, phase-out impact.
To put it in less complicated terms, have you ever discovered yourself sitting in a busy turning lane—watching the signal light of each car in line blinking on and off in and out of phase with each other?
What you’re watching is a polymeter! Albeit a very complicated one.
Each car has its own pulse that goes in and out of phase with the others in the line.
Once in a while, the pulse of the turn signals lines up with each other as the timing of each car eventually intersects.
That’s basically how polymeters work in music too! Besides that, you will be counting two opposing time signatures against each other very precisely, like 5/4 versus 4/4.
What is a polyrhythm?
A polyrhythm fits unequal numbers of beats spaced out equally within a similar amount of time—or within the same measure.
So for instance, a three-over-two polyrhythm will fit three beats of one instrument and two beats of another into the same amount of time.
Odd time vs. polyrhythms
Small note here—polyrhythms are not odd times!
You’ll be able to write polyrhythms in 4/4 time—the most common time signature of all!
Actually, the most basic polyrhythm patterns are most commonly expressed in 4/4 or 3/4 time.
Sure—it is possible to write polyrhythms in odd time signatures like 5/8 or 7/8. However, for simplicity’s sake, it’s better to start off with learning polyrhythms in common time.
Two over three
Let’s start with the most simple polyrhythm of all—two over three.
Two over three may be expressed in either 3/4 time (triple meter) or 2/4 time (duple meter). It doesn’t matter which one you select. However, the one you select will have an effect on how you visualize the polyrhythm and how your polyrhythm fits within the context of the music you’re writing
It’s also a bit easier to visualize any polyrhythm by using a different instrument for each—say a woodblock played in two’s and a snare played in threes.
So, in 3/4 you’ll have a quarter note snare beat on each of the three beats in the measure
And you’ll have a dotted quarter note played on the woodblock equally space two beats within the three quarter note measure.
Hot tip: Polyrhythms are simple to remember and feel by memorizing specific phrases that emphasize their rhythm. In the case of two over four “DING-fries-ARE-done” is a pretty classic phrase.
Three over four
Moving on to three over four it’s a great time to start talking about steps within a bar.
Since four is a multiple of two, you might expect it to sound the same as two over three. However, that isn’t the case.
Remembering that what polyrhythms do is fit unequal numbers of beats spaced out equally within the same amount of time is essential for understanding this and more advanced polyrhythms.
So if we take a look at a 3/4 measure, you’ll have three-quarter notes on each pulse of the measure superimposed over four dotted eighth notes that mathematically equal out to three-quarter notes.
Here’s how three over four can be visualized on paper and in a MIDI editor.
Three over four polyrhythms are sometimes used in pop music breakdowns. You’ll be able to very clearly hear it in Pitbull’s “Give Me Everything” during the pre-chorus.
Just listen to how the synths come in and out of phase.
Hot tip: The perfect phrase to hear and memorize three-over-four feel is “PASS-the-GOSH-darn-BUT-ter”.
Four over five and beyond
Alright now, we’re getting to the more advanced stuff.
Before we dive into Euclidian rhythms, the last polyrhythm to wrap your head around is four over five.
That is more advanced because thinking in multiples of five will certainly challenge your rhythmic sensibilities.
As I said, four over five doesn’t necessarily have to be expressed with an odd time signature.
You could write out this polyrhythm in 4/4 time by superimposing a quarter note quintuplet over a quarter note pulse.
Besides that in this case, we’re fitting pulses of four and five into the same space.
Euclidean rhythms
So what about polyrhythms with six pulses or more? Are there different ways to mix rhythms into polyrhythms?
I think the Euclidian rhythm system is maybe the best way to visualize and discover more complicated polyrhythms.
The Euclidian rhythms use a circular format, with each point of the circle representing a pulse, and the number of points representing a meter.
It’s greatest explored by playing with a Euclidian sequencer.
If you’re wondering why I used a circle with dots in every one of the visuals for the previous three polyrhythms, those are Euclidian representations of those polyrhythms!
Those are some pretty basic examples–It’s mind-boggling what number of funky and complicated rhythm patterns you’ll be able to easily provide you with using a sequencer like this.
Polyrhythms are fascinating
In high school when I first got interested in music, one of the first things I wanted to study was polyrhythms.
I believed they were a super interesting way of thinking about rhythms.
Knowing how polyrhythms work is an awesome gateway for deepening your skills as a participant or writer of music.
So I hope this quick dive into the world of polyrhythms sets you off on a lifetime of noticing them around you and using them in your music.